Elevated railway



(No Model.)

J. P. A. HANLON.

ELEVATED RAILWAY.

No. 342,088. Patented May 18,1886.

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.g r A E method of maintaining the car or cars upon U ITE STATES PATENTtrier).

JOSEPH P. A. HANLON, OF CAMBRIDGE, ASSIGNOR OF TIVO-THIRDS TO GEORGE O.HANLON, OF CAMBRIDGE, JOHN F. HANLON, OF SOMER- VILLF, HERMANN D.TEiVKSBURY AND HENRY FLEETYVOOD, BOTH OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

ELEVATED SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Application llled January21, 1886.

T0 0/. whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J osErrrP. A. HANLON, a subject of the Queen ofGreat Britain, residing at Cambridge, in the county of Middlesex andState of l\Iassachusetts,.have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Elevated Railways; and I do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make anduse the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and toletters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part ofthis specification.

This invention, which relates to elevated railways, consists in thepeculiar mounting or the rail-line, which extends along and is supported upon a single post structure.

The gist of my invention is embodied in the arrangement of twocontinuous raillines, vertically disposed with respect to each other,and extending horizontally or approximately so above and below the carswhich move between them. Thus I propose to employ the top rail line asthe main or supporting one, which thus sustains the weight of the car orcars. On the other hand, the lower rail is intended simply to preventlateral oscillation of the car or any undue divergencefrom its properpath of travel, and such rail-line does not serve as a support for thecar; hence by this system a single-post line for an elevated railway canbe employed with the advantages of minimum friction due to the manner ofsupporting the car or cars upon the upper rails, while at the same timemotion of the cars laterally is prevented by the action of the under orguiding rail, and the result is that the cars travel as steadily as ifsupported upon two rails laterally and horizontally disposed withrespect to each other.

The motive power for propelling the cars may be supplied by anyefficient economical prime motor which may be found most desirable forthe purpose.

The drawings accompanying this specification represent, in Figure 1, aside elevation,

RAlLWAY.

Patent No. 342,088, dated May 18, 1886.

Serial No. 189,244.

(No model.)

In said drawings, A A represent a series of the main supports of asinglepost line of an elevated railway. Such supports or columns are tobearranged along the curbing of the sidewalks or centrally of thestreet, as may be preferred, or as circumstances dictate. Laterallydisposed thereof and suitably braced and strengthened are secured sidestruts or brackets B O, vertically situated with respect to each other.Upon them are located and fastened a continuous length of rail lines, ab. The uppermost of such rail lines is much heavier than the lower,since it is adapted to support the entire weight of the cars composingthe train, and hence it must necessarily be adapted to resist the shocksand strains incident to the passage of cars over the line when activelyemployed. The lower rail line, b, is supported upon a series of sidestruts, O O, and, as shown, is arranged in vertical alignment, orthereabout, with relation to the top rail line, a.

The car is shown at D as an entirety and of any suitable design orconstruction. In the present instance the top portion is shown as archedboth transversely and longitudinally, and may be braced after the mannerof atruss, to more readily adapt it to be supported.

The suspension of the car, or the means by which the latter is supportedupon and carried by the rails, is effected by and through two posts, 0d, springing vertically from the roof of said car, and are united by astrong horizontally-disposed frame, 0, in which are suitably journaledtwo wheels, E E, aligned with and resting upon the upper main rail-line,a. These wheels are independently j ournaled and pivoted, and can thusreadily adjust themselves to any irregularities in the track. Theadvantage of this arrangement is more especially apparent when the caris in the act of traversing sharp curves. Now, it is evident that thismanner of supporting the cars of an elevated railway is the mostefficient, since the supporting device is reduced almost to a singlepoint or pivot, with the great consequent advantage that the carscaneasily traverse short sharp curves, which must occur within thelimits of a city; and, furthermore, the friction resulting from themovement of the cars upon the rails is reduced to a minimum. However, itis evident that when the points of support are above the car or carslateral oscillation or transverse motion with respect to the right-linemovement thereof would occur unless some method was adopted to preventsuch motion. This lateral oscillation would necessarily be attended withgreat danger, owing to the excessive and sudden strains which would bebrought to bear upon the various parts of the superstructure or upon thesupports of the cars; hence I have disposed two wheels, F F, inalignment with each other, or one behind the other, and located themcentrally of and beneath the car. Such wheels, when in proper position,are to engage with the lower rail line, b, and are not to receive verymuch, if any, vertical strain from the car, but are to prevent anylateral tendency of the car to diverge from its direct forward line ofmovement. The wheels further accomplisha second advantageous result-thatis, they tend to steady the car longitudinally, for, owing to the singlecentral point of support for the cars, the latter would tend to rocklongitudinally in vertical planes; hence I have located the guide-wheelsF F some distance apart toward either end of the car. Thus thecombination of the supportingwheels E E and guide-wheels F F producesthe greatest steadiness of the car, combined with the least amount offriction.

In rounding or traversing curves, and to prevent any tendency of thecars from leaving the rail, I have provided guard-rails f f, so called,which are arranged concentric with the main rail-line a, and supportedupon a series of strong braces or girders, g 9. These latter are securedto the main superstructure A, or, as shown in the drawings, to thestruts G 0.

Upon the posts 0 d are arranged two horizontally-revolving looseanti-friction wheels, h h, which are so located as to impinge againstthe guard-rail when the car is traversing a curve, and thus counteractthe strain then brought 'upon the wheels E E and their connecting parts.These wheels h h are represented at a point about midway between the topof the car and the journals of the wheels E E.

I do not confine myself to the particular disposition of the guard-railsupon curves alone, since they may be introduced continuously along theline with equally good results.

As shown in Fig. 3, since the car is turning in the direction shown theinner guard-rail f will be active, while if the curve should be reversedthe outer guard-rail would then serve to resist the centrifugal force.Furthermore, in the same figure, but one anti-friction guard-wheel h isrepresented, while in Fig. 1 two such wheels are shown; and I do notdesire to be limited strictly to the number or to their preciselocation.

In traversing curves it will be understood that each wheel of the sets EE F F is not only journaled separately, but also capable of motionwithin a pivotal truck, G, as is the case in ordinary railway-cartrucks; hence it is obvious that each wheel will adjust itself to acurve of any radius, however small. As before premised, this system ofelevated railways is adapted to the successfulapplication of any motivepower.

I am aware that it is not new to provide an elevated-railway car withtwo horizontal wheels which bear against the same rail or shell which isin contact with the supportingwhecl, and I therefore do not claim thesame.

I claim 1. The combination of car-supporting wheels arranged abovea car,the guide-wheels beneath the same, and rails on which they run, withhorizontal guard-wheels carried by said car and guard rails againstwhich said guardwheels turn, substantially as set forth. v 2. The railsff, supported by the superstructureB and brackets g g, and thehorizontal guard-wheel h, which turns between them, in combination withthe car to which said guard-wheel is attached, substantially asdescribed.

3. The combination of the supportingwheels E-and the guide-wheels F, therails on which they run, the guard-wheel h, the rails ff, in contacttherewith, and the car to which all of said wheels are attached,substantially as set forth.

4. A car for elevated railways, constructed, substantially as described,with a setof supporting-wheels arranged one behind the other and abovethe car, a similarly-disposed set of guide-wheels beneath the car, andthe antifriction guard-wheels, all substantially for the purposesexplained.

5. In combination with the si ngle-postsuperstructure A, the arms B B,upon which are secured the rails 06 f, the brackets O O, with guide-railb, and the posts g g, carrying the second guard-rail f, for purposesstated.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH P. A. HANLON.

\Vitnesses:

H. E. LODGE, H. D. TEWKSBURY.

ICO

